Wheel for tractors, agricultural implements, and the like



Feb. 25, 1930, D. RONALDSON WHEEL FQR TRACTOR S, AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, AND THE- LIKE Filed June 15, .1927

5. @4094 as on! @yM Patented Feb. 25, 1930 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 DAVID BONALDSQN, or BALLAB'AT, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA WHEEL ron'mAe'rons, AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS, AND THE LIKE,

Application'filed June 15 I927, Serial No. 199,071, and in Australia June 24,1926.

This invention relates to transport or land wheels for tractors, agricultural implements and such like vehicles, which. are on occasions required to travel over, or to operate in relatively soft and muddy ground, and has especial reference to such wheels having a rim ele- 1 ment which is relatively'narrow and disposed edgewise tothe ground. v I

One of the objects of the present invention 10 is to provide'animproved-wheel for tractors and the like, the wheelbeing comparatively cheap to produce, capable of tracking effec- I 'tively' over soft or muddy ground without fear ofabecomingbogged, and, whilst being relatively light, possessing equal if not greater strength and'rigiditythan existing wheels. A further object of the invention is to provide for tractor, or like wheels having a rela tively-narr'ow rim element, an improved arrangement and construction of grippers and bracketslfor'supporting said grippers at each side of the Wheel rim, whereby an adequate, tractive effect and tread surface will be ob-' tained, whilst there will be not circumferentially extending surfacebetween the grippers and brackets upon which mud and other objectionablematter can accumulate.

A characteristic feature of the invention resides in building up the rim of a wheel mm a plurality of comparatively thin segmental plates which are assembled with their end portions overlapped, and are secured together and to the outer ends ofthe wheel spokes at said overlapped end portions. The segmentalplatescan beproduced at a very low cost and may be speedily assembled by comparatively unskilled labor; Furthermore, by arranging for the end portions of the segmental platestooverlap each-other and to be secured tothe wheel spokesfat said overlapped portions, the rim is effectively reinforced and the complete wheel structure rendered rigid I whilst retaining the advantages of lightness. 4 The wheel is provided with spuds or grippers and these may be bolted directly to the rim or to brackets outstanding 'sidewardly therefrom. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, howeverfgripper supporting brackets are formed integral with the segline VI VI of'Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a wheel according to another and perferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 3, supplementary grippers being omitted for convenience of illustration. 7

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line IX IX of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line X X of Figure 5.

In accordance with this invention the segmental plates 2 for forming the rim of a tractor-or like wheel may be stamped, pressed or 75 otherwise conveniently fashioned, and are provided adjacent their ends with holes 3 to pass rivets or the like 4, whereby theplates may be secured together in the desired overlapped relationship, and to theouter end of the wheel spokes 6. Sets of the spokes may radiate from a hub 7 provided at both ends with flanges 8 to which theinner ends of the spokes are secured. The set of spokes secured to one of the flanges 8 are preferably stag- 'tion with the holes in the other end portion of a spoke 6. Another segmental plate is then applied so that one end of its end portions overlaps the end portion of the first plate, and with its rivet holes 3 in alignment with the holes of the said first plate and the spoke. Rivets 4 may then be ap lied to fasten the overlapped segmental p ates to the may be attached to opposite sides of the over-.

spoke. Such assembly operations are repeated to complete the wheel structure. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the opposite sets of spokes lapped plates 2, or, as seen in Figures 3 to 5 the outer end portion ofeach spoke may be disposed between the overlapped enodeportion of adjacent segmental plates.

It will be evident that the outer peripheral edge9 of the rim-formed by the segmental plates 2 is relatively narrow, and to enable the wheel to establish asatisfactorytractive p the i ir ovid ;W th-s appe k a suitable formation.

n; theiem odim t i l s at d in gures 1 and 2,, brackets" 21 are secured to thenar row rim which is builtup of segmental plates 2 as aforesaid. The brackets 21-project sidewardly; from-therim and to the outer end portionof each bracket a-gripper 22is attached. Each gripper supporting bracket may; consist 'of a casting; having .an inner flange 23 adapted telie. flat against theside' face of a segmental plate 2, the flange 23 and plate 2 being-provided withholes to pass rivets or bolts 24'. Projecting sidewardly and preferably at'right angles fromeach flange 23 arewebs which may terminateat their outer ends in a boss portion26 adaptedto receive a gripper 22. There may be two sideward-ly projecting webs 27,, 28, whichwhen viewed in cross section are of substantially vlshape,

' the junction; of the v web being furthest from beyond the rim element, the gripper thus having a relatively narrow ground engaging edge 82 which is spa ced sidewardly from and extends atright angles to the rim element.

The gripper may be substantially hollow and provided adj acent its base with a lug or web 33 having a hole or slot 34 to coincide with :thebolt-hol- 30 of; the outer, bossed portion 26 ofgthebracket 21. One wall ,of'thej grip-, per, inlay, if desired havean, opening to-;en

able the bolt 81-};to; bejpassedthrough the said coinciding holes inthegripper22 and psio lex nsienaw whiehl e sii it fil th ,7 e hereef-and easai qep ita i s f the bossed portion 26 of the bracket to there by steady the gripper. The brackets and be of substz nitially I grippers may be spaced at desired circumferential intervals around both sides of the rim element and preferably in staggered formation.

If desired, series of stays 38 may be bolted at their'extremities to the. boss portions 26 of hand sideof Figures 1 and 2, in order to imp sfireng and steadiness t e o- From the foregoing it will be evident that thereis, no circumferentially. extending surfacebetween the'rows of'grip'pers 22; Conselate between or around'the grippers. Furthermore, owing to they shape of theside-f wardly projecting webs of the brackets 21,

thereon nor upon the-rim element.'

.the gripper brackets 21, as ,"seen at the left euen lylm 011 07 erthsenno accumu- In. ordertoreducemanufacturing and as semblingcosts of the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 and 2,w'hil;stat the same time retaining the beneficial workmg resultsfthereof, we prefer-jto, form the brackets 21 integral with segmental plates 2 Accordingly, we r may provide a series ofcombined rim 7 pla'te and gripper bracket units as seen in Figures '3 to 6 each unit-pref erably b'eing, in the form ofa casting,comprising a relatively thin segmental plate porf tion. 2?? and an, outstanding integral bracket "portion 21? which isadapted'atits outer end 1 .to receivea gripper 22 The castings are as;

sembled with the ends of their segmental P e P n v lapped,theover ppe endsbeing preferablyrdisposed; at opposite:

sides of the spokes 6, radiate from the 1 hub 7 asbefore mentioned. The plateportion 2 and the" spokes 6 are provided with holes 3 which coincide when the parts are assemg I 106 bled'liO accommodate rivets 4 or the like Each casting may have a single bracket portion 21? and this preferably outstands at right angles from the respective plate per U 7 tion '2? and may be disposed ne'arer one end of the casting than the othen Each bracketl portlon 21" is preferably of substantially triangular shape when viewed from the side of the wheel; the apex oft-he triangle being approximately flushwith the outerperipheral edge, of the rimfThefinnerfend portion Of the bracket 2lmayincrease in cross section:

al area to ensure "adequate strengthat' its :i l t q with he p at po tion 2%. bracket portion ,may if partly hollow as seenfinFigurefi. J

The

e'sir ol w v0. .v

a i o 1 Someof the castings may be of right hand jand othersfof'left"hand formation so that ably staggered formation around the wheel.

when assembled the various gripper support- I bracket 21,,a nut 36being preferablyapplied, to the bolt, beneath the undersurface of the. bracket boss portion I The gripper'may-have The grippers 22 may be of substantially V shape when viewed from the side, and they site inclined faces of the castings and steady may. terminate atrr vheir innerendsinsplayed portions o'r feet 37 which bear against oppo q '130 ice the grippers. Each gripper may be secured to its supporting bracket 21 by a bolt 81 7 which passes through a radially extending hole 30 in the outer end portion of said bracket, and a coinciding hole in a web 33 of thegripper. f

In some instances two rows of grippers disposed one at each side of the rim element may -be suiiicient to provide the required tractive grip, but, if desired, a furtherseries of intermediate or supplementary grippers may be applied directly to the rim element, an intermediate gripper being located between two adjacentgrippers of the outer rowsthereof, as indicated in Figures 7 and '8. It will be evident that such intermediate or supplementary grippers may also be applied in the embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 3 and 5 supplementary grippers are shown as comprising an attaching flange 52 which is adapted to lie fiat against'one side of the rim and to be secured thereto by bolts 58 or the like, and a body portion 54 of substantially V shape, when'viewed from the side, whichprojects outwardly for a suitable distance beyond the outer periphery of the rim. An arcuate' ters Patent is: I

1. Improvements in and relating to transport wheels for tractors and the like, char- I acterized inthat each Wheel has a relatively narrowrim element built up ofa series of metal plates of substantially segmental form which are assembled withtheir end portions overlapped and are secured together and to 4. A transport wheel having a rim element made up of segmental plates secured together topresent the edge of the plates as the rim of the wheel, a bracket carried by and projecting laterally of certain of the plates, the bracketbeing of V-form in cross section with its apex in line with the rim-forming edge of the plate, grippers interfitting with the brackets, said grippers being of less length axially of the wheel than the brackets, and means for securing the grippers to the brackets in spaced relation to the rim-forming plates.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DAVID RONALDSON.

the outer ends of the wheel spokes at said overlappedportions, for the'purpose specified.

2. Improvements in and relating to transport wheels for tractors and the like, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the overlapped end vportions of said segmental plates and the outer end portions of said spokes are provided with coinciding apertures to accomgieidate rivets or bolts, for the purpose specie 3. A transport wheel having a relatively narrow rim element, brackets secured to and projecting from the rim element in parallelism to' the axis of the wheel, said brackets be ing substantially of cV-form in cross section with their apices in the plane of the circum-fl ferential edge of the rim, and grippers interfitting with the brackets and removably se cured thereto. 

